IMA POLICY MANUAL
PART I: INTRODUCTION
GENERAL ASSISTANCE FOR CHILDREN (GC) 2.4
The General Assistance for Children (GC) program provides direct financial support to children living in households without a parent or caretaker relative. The program is intended to provide assistance to households caring for unrelated children whose parents and other relatives are absent from the household and who do not or cannot provide financial support for the care of the child. IMA may assist eligible children to apply for and obtain other benefits and services available through other programs.
A monthly GC cash grant is provided by EBT to a responsible adult in the household. The amount of cash benefits is calculated according to TANF rules except that the adult caretaker's income and assets are not counted and their needs cannot be included in the grant.
Eligibility Criteria 2.4.2
To be eligible for GC, children must reside in a District household absent of their parent or adult relatives and absent of financial support, or adequate financial support, from their parents or relative. A child must be ineligible for TANF solely because his/her caretaker is not of acceptable degree of relationship (see Section 5.4: Who is A Relative in Part IV).
When an individual applies for cash assistance for a GC child, the SSR must first determine if the child is eligible for TANF by using the following criteria:
- Presence in the home of a relative of acceptable degree of relationship: If a parent is in the home, the child is automatically ineligible for GC if that relationship can be established. If another relative is in the home, that relative will be considered the caretaker unless s/he is mentally or physically unable to assume at least partial responsibility for the care of the child;
- Pregnancy of GC child: If a GC child is pregnant and is expected to deliver within the next four months, she is eligible for TANF. The pregnancy must be medically verified; or
- Presence of minor related child: If a GC child is an eligible TANF caretaker (that is, the applicant is a minor parent), the child may not receive GC but may qualify for TANF.
An adult in the household may apply for GC benefits for the child. The caretaker must accept the child as a member of the family and have responsibility for the supervision and care of the child. The home setting must be evaluated, including a visit to the home made by the Department, to determine that this requirement is met.
In order to be eligible for GC, the child's caretaker must produce authorization from the child's legally responsible relative or a court of competent jurisdiction designating the caretaker as the temporary or permanent caretaker of the child, to the extent such authorization is obtainable by the caretaker. When such authorization is not obtainable by the caretaker, the caretaker may offer other proof of custodial relationship between the caretaker and the child. Proof may include, but is not limited to, leases indicating that the child lives with the caretaker; medical records or school records bearing the caretaker's signature; or affidavits from teachers, social workers, medical staff, or other professionals involved in the family's life.
The Food Stamp Program (FS) is administered at the federal level by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). The program is intended to provide monthly benefits to low-income households to assist them in purchasing food needed to maintain adequate nutrition. Congress established the Food Stamp Program in 1964, and later enacted the Food Stamp Act of 1977. In 1996, Congress passed PRWORA which, along with creating TANF and eliminating AFDC, implemented major changes in FS, including a limit on the number of months that an able-bodied, non-elderly, unemployed adult without children can receive FS. The District currently has a waiver of this provision and thus does not impose time limits on able-bodied, non-elderly, unemployed adults with no children.
In the District, paper 'food stamps' or coupons have been replaced by EBT. EBT allows beneficiaries to use a magnetic-striped plastic card, similar to an ATM or debit card, to withdraw their benefits electronically at participating grocery stores and market. No coupons or cash are disbursed and nothing is exchanged. When a FS recipient uses an EBT card at the food store, the FS benefits are deducted automatically from the beneficiary's FS account and transferred to the food vendor electronically. The District's EBT card is called the Capital Access card, and it also allows eligible beneficiaries to access TANF benefits electronically at ATM machines and certain other retail stores. Grocery stores that display the QUEST logo have been FNS certified and their checkout terminals are setup to process Capital Access transactions.
In order to receive FS benefits, all non-exempt adults in the household must participate, in an employment search, work, or related activities (see Chapter 1: Work Requirements in Part V). Each applicant household member who is not exempt will register for the Food Stamp Employment and Training (FSET) program at the time of application and every 12 months after initial registration.
